A Little Running/ A Lot of Books Part 1

This last week I ran 29.4 miles.  The odd thing about it is the week before I ran exactly 29.4 miles also.  I couldn't have done that had I been trying. I am a few days into my taper. The first two days I could have kept running whereas today 3 miles felt long.  YIKES!  Let's hope that changes soon!  

As I have mentioned before reading is another love of mine.  I always find time to read at least at some point each day.  I can remember my roommate in college going to bed with Grey's  Anatomy - the book which was nowhere near as exciting as the tv series.  I could not and still can't imagine reading such a boring book to fall asleep by.  I generally read for entertainment, not to be educated.  Having said that I do like to read running books and become better educated about running.  I also like to read biographies but mostly  I read fiction!  I'm going to mention a few of my all time favorites in no particular order.

I love Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.  I like all of his books including the sequel to this one but this one makes my all time top 5.  It takes place in 12th Century England and is about the building of a cathedral.

I also like Five Smooth Stones by Ann Fairbairn.  It is an old book about racial conflict. I have not read it in years and need to do a rereading soon.  The characters still hold a place in my memory from many years ago.

Another top choice is  Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel which became a series. None were quite as good as the first one.  Ayla is a richly developed character who breaks the norms for women way back in the stone age.

The Stand by Stephen King is my favorite by King.  I no longer read King but I read many of his earliest books. This end of the world with good VS evil has many characters you will love and hate!  In my opinion Salem's Lot by King has Twilight beat by many miles.

All the Usual Rules is a book intended for young adults that just won my heart.  I loved many of the characters.  (Are you seeing a thread here?  Characters matter to me big time!)  It is about what happens to a family after 9/11 through the eyes of a teenaged girl.

Caddy for Life; The Bruce Edwards Story is a true story about the caddy Bruce Edwards who had ALS.  He was Tom Watson's caddy, a truly remarkable person.  (I have read a lot of golf books and I don't play golf.  But my father was a terrific golfer and obviously had a lot of influence on me.)

One True Thing by Anna Quindlen,  a favorite author, is another top choice of mine.  She writes about a woman taking care of her dying mother.  This book affected me more than any book ever has, perhaps because I wasn't able to take care of my own mother when she was dying.  This story made me wish I had been able to experience those final days in a different way than I was able to.   I knew after reading this book that I never wanted to see the movie. I would be unable to handle it so why go there?

Marathoning for Mortals by John Bingham is what started it all for me.  I have to include this on the list.  John Bingham really spoke to me as a beginning runner and I am sad to see him leaving Runners World.

So here is my first book post.  I hope you get some ideas and I am always looking for good book recommendations.